Harness-trace.



J. W. CURRY.

HARNESS TRACE.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.2, 1912. 1,097,214- Patented May 19,1914.

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JOI-IN W. CURRY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

HARNESS-TRACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1914.

Application led March 2, 1912. Serial No. 681,165.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JOI-IN IV. CURRY, a cit-izen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and 'State of Ohio,` have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harness-Traces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates toimprovements in harness traces.

Gne of its objects is to provide a trace of less weight, stronger, more iiexible, and of `longer life as regards wear, weather, and

similar conditions, than leather traces heretofore commonly used.

Another obj ect is to provide improved means to increase the strength of the trace longitudinally, or in the direction of greatest strain.

Another object is to provide improved means to attach the body of the trace and its terminal or eye members together to resist the strains to which such oints are liable to be subjected.

My invention further comprises certain details of form, combination and arrangement, all of which will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trace embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one end of a trace illustrating a modification of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line -m of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one form or rivet preferably employed. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail on line o-fu of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a side elevation illustrating another modification.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred' embodiments of my invention.

The traces forming the subject-matter of my invention are designed to be employed in pairs as connections between the harness and the vehicle, and through which the strain necessary to draw or propel the vehicle is to be transmitted.

Each trace comprises a body portion A of woven or textile material, such as cotton for instance, and terminal members B and B' at `opposite ends provided with hooks or eyes by means of which the traces may be readily attached at one end to the harness and at the opposite end to the vehicle. The terminal members B, B', are preferably of metal, and as illustrated are provided with eyes 2, formed from a piece of sheet metal by bending it into a loop so that its opposite ends eye of said terminal member, and incidentally to lock the end of member A bet-ween said Shanks where it is protected from fraying or unraveling.

In addition to the rivets 5, I preferably employ a series of rivets 9 having split or bifurcated Shanks 10 and heads 11. The sha-nks 10 are inserted through perforations in the extended portion of shank 4 and through the end of member A in such manner as to divide and pass between its component fibers or threads instead of severing the same. The projecting ends of the Shanks 10 are then turned down or clenched as indicated in Fig. 5, and may if desired be forced down into the fiber so as to be iush with the face of member A. The rivets 9 are mainly relied upon to transmit the strain and to prevent the members B, B', from parting company with member A under strain.

In order to increase the strength of member A lengthwise or in the direction of greatest strain, and particularly at the points where the member A is securedby the rivets to the members B, B', I provide a number of lines of stitches 12 of the lock stitch type running longitudinally of member A and inserted under tension preferably to sink said stitchesinto the fiber of member A so as to be flush with or below the faces of member A. In Fig. l the lines of stitches extend the full length of member A, while in the modification Fig. 2 the lines of stitches 12 are extended only through the ends of member A' where said member is to be attached to its terminal members. In

'Fig.-2 a section 14 of the eye of member B has been cut away to receive a hook or eye from the harness or vehicle. v

In the modification Fig. 6 a piece of canvas or like material 15 is inserted with the end of member A2 and locked in place by the rivets 5', and its free end allowed to hang as indicated at 16 in dotted line until after the rivets 9 are inserted and clenched, after which it is drawn as a nisb. over the clenched ends of the rivets 9 and secured to member A2 by a line of stitches 17.

The textile material of members A is treated wit-h materials suitable to render it practically water-proof to protect the fiber from moisture and dampness, and from the adhesion of mud or other substance with which the traces are liable to come in contact.

The article herein illustrated and described is capable of considerable modification without departing from the principle of my invention.

Having described my invention, what l claim is:

l. A trace comprising a body of woven cellulose textile material having a plurality of lines of stitching evenly distributed and extending longitudinally thereof to increase the strength of 'said body portion in the direction of its length, terminal connecting members having shanks embracing opposite faces kof the respective ends of Said body portion, and a plurality of rivet members evenly distributed over Said overlapping portions of the trace ends and the terminal connecting members and passing through said shanks and between the fibers of said body portion to unite said terminal members to said body portion to resist strains longitudinally of said trace.

2. A trace comprising a body portion composed of a unitary web of textile material having a Selvage at each edge, and termina-l connecting members having shanks united to one face of the respective ends of said body portion by a multiplicity of rivet'members passing through said Shanks and between the fibers of said body portion.

3. A trace comprising a body portion composed of a unitary web of textile material having a selvage at each edge, and terminal connecting members having Shanks united to one face of the respective ends of said body portion by a multiplicity of rivet members distributed uniformly over the area of the overlapping portions of the trace ends and 'the terminal connecting members and passing through `said Shanks and between the bers of said body portion.

4. A trace comprising a body portion composed of a unitary web of woven text-ile material having a Selvage at each edge, a plurality of lines of stitching evenly distributed and extending longitudinally thereof-to increase the strength of said body portion lonsaid body portion, and terminal connecting members Vhaving shanks united to one face of the respective ends of said body portion by rivet members distributed evenly over said overlapping portions of the trace ends and the terminal connecting members and passing through said shanks and between the fibers of said body portion to unite said terminal members to said body portion to resist strains longitudinally of said trace.

6. AV trace comprising a body portion composed of a unitary web of woven fibrous cellulose material having lines of stitching evenly distributed and extending longitudinally thereof, and metal terminal connecting members each having shanks united to opposite sides of the ends of said body portion, said shanks and body portion being secured together by rivet members passing through said shanks and body portion.

7. A trace comprising a body port-ion composed of a unitary web of woven cellulose textile material having a Selvage at each edge and lines of lock stitching evenly distributed and extending longitudinally thereof to increase the strength of said body portion longitudinally, and metal terminal connecting members having shanks united to one face of the respective ends of said body portion by a multiplicity of rivet members distributed uniformly over an extended area of said overlapping portions of the trace ends and the terminal connecting members and passino through said Shanks and between the fibers of said body portion to unite said terminalmembers to said body portion to resist strains longitudinally of said trace.

In testimony whereof I have' affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. CURRY.

Witnesses:

W. THORNTON BOGERT, C. WV. MILES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

